If you can’t beat winter, might as well go walking in it! Free events involving snowshoes and symphonies are to be had or fend off their winter blues by registering the kids for a weekly activity program. It may be cold, but there are still wonderful things to tempt your family to venture… inside or out! Holidays tapped the family fun budget? Want something free to do? Take a spin in snowshoes! If there’s snow on the ground and you can make it out to Shubenacadie Wildlife Park between 10 AM and 1 PM on Saturday, they will outfit the family with snowshoes. For another event that won’t cost you anything, take the family to story time in the key of the ocean with Symphony Nova Scotia at Pier 21. Spinning Yarns: Tales of the Sea features conductor, Gary Ewer and tunes from Jaws, The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. Sunday at 1:30 and 3 PM, registration required and is limited to…get this…families and children only! SISU, Women’s Self Defence in Downtown Dartmouth, marks the start of their winter semester. Supergirls: an 8-week Empowerment and Personal Safety Program for pre-teen girls begins on Saturday at 10 AM. Mothers/female guardians are welcome to take part as well. It’s $199 per girl/$159 for Mother/Daughter. 4Cats Arts has some wicked winter programming. Notably, the start of a 10-week Toddler’s Art Session is on Sunday at 9:45—a statistically successful time of day to get a toddler to go out and do something fun. 4Cats doesn’t often do workshops with children this little, so be sure to take advantage of this one! And don’t worry, one guardian has to attend, so you won’t be missing out on precious time with your creative bundle of messy fun. If yours are older than 2 or 3, check out the Urban Parent Events Calendar for more programs for kids of other ages!